The radio-frequency (RF) spectrum is the foundation for many wireless communications systems in use today, including cellular networks. Specified frequency ranges, sometimes called bands, in the RF spectrum may be allocated for use by different entities, for different purposes, or in different geographic locations. As used in this disclosure, “spectrum” refers to any frequencies and frequency bands in the RF spectrum that may be used or allocated for wireless communications. “Spectrum data” refers to any data that is related to spectrum.
Therefore, having access to spectrum data is important to the maintenance and operation of wireless communications systems. For example, spectrum data may be used to determine whether a mobile device's poor connectivity is due to the malfunctioning device or due to interference in the environment. Further, because of the ubiquity of wireless systems and their intertwinement with every-day life, spectrum data correlates with phenomena of interest to many people beyond spectrum managers and network engineers. For example, a store floor manager may wish to optimize product layout based on the patterns of customer movement that can be inferred from the changing locations of the RF emitted by their mobile devices. In another example, a family driving on a vacation may wish to know where the next available accessible hotspot is to stop to download another movie for the car while having lunch.
While many different commercial and government entities may employ proprietary systems for collecting, accessing, and managing spectrum data, this data is currently unavailable to third parties for custom applications. Further, even if they had access to the required spectrum data, these users typically would not have the expertise or necessary infrastructure to effectively interpret the data or apply the spectrum data to their specific problem. In particular, support infrastructure has been estimated to account for up to 50% of the total cost of network ownership associated with managing the use of shared spectrum.